Sales of P&O Cruises’ new ship Iona are four times higher than those of the line’s last new ship Britannia were after nearly a month.
Alex Delamere-White, the line’s sales and distribution vice-president, confirmed the launch of Iona’s programme had been the most successful in P&O Cruises’ history, in terms of trade sales.
“We have seen unprecedented demand for this ship,” Delamere-White told Travel Weekly.
“It has been the most successful month on record for travel agent sales.”
Delamere-White said this was due to two programmes – summer 2020 and summer 2019 – having been put on sale during September.
When asked how 5,200 passenger capacity Iona had fared compared to the line’s current flagship Britannia three weeks after going on sale, Delamere-White said sales had been “four-fold”.
Britannia launched in 2015 and has capacity for 3,647 passengers.
Highlighting why sales for Iona, specifically, had been so high, Delamere-White said: “What we have been really pleased about and this has been a significant driver of the ship launch is the interest from new-to-cruise passengers.
“We have had to appeal to this market to meet capacity growth.
“Iona will sail to the Norwegian fjords in its maiden season. That has been critical in getting that new-to-cruise interest.
“The fjords is a bucket list destination.”
Ahead of Iona’s programme launch early last month, Paul Ludlow, the line’s senior vice-president, pledged to “build more ships”, adding P&O Cruises was “invested in the UK market”.
Pre-registration for Iona’s sailings opened on September 3 before going on sale a week later.
Nina Sands, of Bolsover Cruise Club; Travel Counsellor Rebecca Whitmore; Chris Mayhew, of Cruise Network; Courtney Smith, of Tui; Matthew Horn, of Thomas Cook; and Sophie Clements, of Hays Travel, have all been selected as Iona Insiders.